Wafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism



sept. 3o. 1924 1510A@ E. E. LAWRENCE WAFER OR BISCUITSAND'NICH MAKING MECHANISM 'Filed Aug. 4, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet. l

E. E. LAWRENCE wAFER 0R BISCUIT SANDWICH MAKING MECHANISM Sept. 30 ,1924.

3 Sheets-Sheet f? Sept. 3o, 1924. l

E. E. LAWRENCE WAFER` OR BISCUIT S Filed Aug. 4, 1919 ANDWICH MAKING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 30, 1924.

EDWARD E. LAWRENCE, OF JAMIAICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LOOSE WILES BS- GUET COMPANY, 0F LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW' YORK.

WAFER OR BISCUII SANDWCH-MAKING MECHANSM.

Application led Augsut 4, 1919.

To all tolto/m, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Emmy!) E. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jamaica, in the county of Queens and State or" New York, have invented an Improvement in Wafer or Biscuit Sandwich-Making Mechanism, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciiication, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to wafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, l have disclosed a single embodiment thereoi' in the accompanying` drawings, wherein- Fig. l is a side elevation of one form of mechanism embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view ot the mechanism shown in F ig. l;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view upon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. is a perspective detail of a slightly modified form of a portion of the mechanism;

F ig. 5 is a iront elevation oi the stacker preferably used as a part of the mechanism of my invention;

F ig. 6 is a plan view of said stacker and of the means fordischarging wafers, biscuits or the `like therefrom;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section upon the line 7-7 oit' Fig. 5, and showing also a hand Vdevice for inserting wafers or the like in said stacker; and

Fig. 8 is a detail of a portion of said hand device. Y

While the mechanism of my invention is adapted for use in various relations, it is more particularly adapted to be employed upon or in connection with machines tor depositing coating material upon food products, and more particularly for depositing jelly, icing or a sweetened material upon cakes, biscuits or waters.

l"Vhile the mechanism of my invention may be employed in connection with any suitable means for depositing such material upon cakes, crackers or the like, l pref- Serial No. 315,171.

erably employ mechanism substantially like or similar to that disclosed in the patent to Edward Legler, No. 1,260,558, March 26, 1918, wherein is disclosed means for depositing jelly, upon which jelly a small quantity of marshmallow is thereafter deposited. Obviously any suitable substance may be deposited upon the cakes or crackers and herein I have indicated generally means for depositing a single substance upon each cake, cracker, wafer or the like.

In the said Legler patent means are disclosed for pushing cakes or like products from a hopper or receptacle onto a traveling belt. Such means are preferably einployed in connection with or as a part of the mechanism herein disclosed, but l have not illustrated herein such means, since the cakes or other products may be deposited in any suitable manner upon the apron or other conveyer.

lVhile any suitable conveyer may be employed, l preferably provide a belt or apron l which is supported upon a suitable framing, certain o1- the uprights of which are represented at 2-2. Preferably the apron, which is endless, is of very considerable length, and the cakes or other products carried thereby and treated while there-on are discharged therefrom in a manner not herein represented.

rlhe cakes or the like havingl been suitably deposited or positioned upon the belt l, which is preferably intermittently driven as described in the said Legler patent, are preterably by a pusher, as shown in said patent, moved under a suitable hopper or receptacle 3 containing the jelly, icing or other lilling, as more fully disclosed in said Legler patent. The material is discharged from the said hopper or receptacle 3 by suitable valve means, preferably of the type shown in the said patent, and the cakes having the material so deposited thereon are, in the onward movement ofthe belt l, brought within the range ot movement oi a sec-ond 'feeding device, herein represented as a pusher 4 and preferably similar to that shown in the said Legler patent. .as herein indicated most clearly in Fig. 2, the pusher t has a forward serrated edge and is connected at its ends to longitudinally extending rods or bars 5, which at their opposite ends are connected to the uprights 6 ot two longitudinally extending slides 7, which at their opposite ends are pivotally connected at 8 to links 9 themselves pivotally connected at 10 to two levers 11 mounted upon the shaft 12 for rocking movement. In a manner not herein illustrated, but which preferably is substantially the same as that disclosed in the said Legler patent,rthe shaft 12 is rocked so as to impart a movement of reciprocation to the pusher. Y

In order that the pusher e' shall not inA teriiere with the onward moving biscuits or the like, I provide means which may be similar to that shown in the said Legler patent for imparting movement in a generally rectangular path to the said pusher. For that purpose I have herein shown opposite guide members 13 having trackways with pivoted parts let, 15, so that upon the movement ofV the pusher 4 to the let't vievving Fig. 1, the forward parts of the rods or lbars 5 are guided beneath the pivoted members 14E, .and upon their return are guided thereabove and over the pivoted part 15, depressing the latter', which immediately is returned by suitable springs into the position indicated in Fig. 1. Upon the next movement of the rods or bars 5 to the left, viewing Fig. 1, they are suitably guided beneath the pivoted members 15. In'this or any other suitable manner, the cakes or the like are intermittently fed forward and are by the intermittently moving apron 1 brought into suitable position to have superimposed thereon another cake or the like, so that what may be termed a sandwich or lilled water is formed or provided, the same being composed of two cakes or the like between which is a suitable filling that has been deposited from the hopper or receptacle 3. While the superposed cakes may berpositioned upon the apron-carried cakes 16 having the filling material 17 deposited thereon, preferably I provide means Wherein a relatively large number ot cakes or the like 18 may be deposited to be automatically released intermittently as the aproncarried cakes 16 are. brought thereunder.

For this purpose, I have herein represented a hopper or stacking member generally indicated at 19 and which is of sufficient width to extend across the apron 1. suitable intervals it is provided with upright partitions 20 spaced a distance apart substantially corresponding to the diameter ot the cakes. F rom said partitions preferably extend flanges 21--21 preferably tapered at their upper ends as indicated at 22. The adjacent edges 23 ot said flanges are spaced sufliciently apart to permit the operator to place the cakes or the like in piles lthe cakes are received.' It is desirable that a pile or series'of Vthe cakes be grasped firmly by the tool 24, but in such a manner Ythat the cakes will not be crushed by reason of the operative applying too great pressure to the tool. F or that purpose I preferably provide suitable stop Ymeans Vherein represented as a bolt 27 secured at its endc28 to one part oi" the tool and extending at its other end 29 through an opening. 30 in the tool. rIhe bolt 27 is threaded as indicated at 31 for the reception of nuts 32 which may be moved` to any position upon the bolt. The construction is such thathaving set the nuts 32 at the desired point, the tool is manipulated Vto grasp a set-or pile of the cakes and the spaced ends 26 of the tool are moved toward each other' by the pressure of the operatives handl until the wall or part. ofthe tool having the opening 30 therein takes against the nut 32.Y This permits the pile of cakes to be grasped firmly and yet prevents over pressure and crushing thereof.

In order to deposit the pile or set of cakes held by the tool 25 in one of the compartments of the hopper 19, therfilled tool is held directly above one of the compartments with thel handle portion 25 extending at right angles 4to the transverse Wall of the compartment. The tool is then lowered so as to move the held cakes downward into the compartment, the spaced ends 26 of the tool entering the compartment between the edges 23 of the flanges 22.v After' theV tool has been lowered sufficiently to bring the held set of cakes down substantially to those previously positioned in the hopper, the tool 25 is withdrawn by a movement at right angles to the transverse wall of the hopper 19.

Obviously, however, any other Vsuitable means may be employed to position the cakes in the hopper or stack member 19.

noY

The hopper 19 is supported in any suitthe lowermost and released cracker in each compartment of the hopper 19. For this purpose, I have represented the side members 33, 33 of the framing as having secured thereto suitable angle irons 34 wherein are guided for vertical movement rods 35 which at their upper ends are connected to brackets 36 themselves connected to spaced channel irons 37 extending transversely of the apron 1 and adapted to elevate the portion of the apron contacting therewith, so as to lift the cakes 16 with their deposited filling 17 into engagement with the lowermost cakes 38 in the several compartments of the hopper 19.

Instead of employing the spaced channel irons 37, l m'ay, as shown in Fig. 4, secure to the top vof the brackets 36 a plate or strip 39 of a length corresponding to the width of the apron and of a suflicient width to provide for the elevation of a suiiicient zone or section of the apron 1. It is important that but a single cake is released at a time from each compartment of the hopper 19. While for this purpose any suitable means, such as an escapeinent or other device, may be provided, I have herein represented the hopper 19 fas provided atits lower end with translverse bars 4t), shown Vmost clearly in Fig. 7 and adapted to receive, for sliding movementv in the opposite ends thereof, a pair of rods 41 upon the outer ends of which are suitably supported transverse bars 42, wherein are secured, as by means of bolts 43, a series of escapement pins 44, 45. Said bars 42 together with the rods 41 thus form a sliding frame supporting said escapenient pins 44, 45. Said pins, as clearly shown in Fig. 7, are arranged in two sets spaced vertically a distance equalling the thickness of a single cake and also having their ends so placed with respect to each other that when the pins 44 are moved into and through the hopper 19,;that is,to the left viewing Fig.` 7 ,-they pass between the two .lowermost cakes in each compartment, and as they enter therebetween the pins 45 are at the same time withdrawn from beneath the lowermost cake in each compartment. This permits the lowermost cake to drop from eachcompartment, the cake immediately above what was the lowermost cake being now held'up and resting upon the pins 44. I provide suitable means whereby a Zone or section of the apron 1 is elevated together with a transverse row of the cakes 16 at substantially the same time that a transverse row of the cakes is released from the compartments of the hopper '19, whereby the apron-supported cakes 16 with their filling 17 are lifted into engagement with a released row of cakes, the lifting movement of the apron being relied upon to force the elevated row- 16 of the cakes Vagainst the released row of cakes 38 with filling material 17, the pins 45 acting as an abutment for the released cakes 38 as indicated most clearly in Fig. 3.

While for this purpose any suitable means may be provided, I have herein represented a lever 46 pivoted at 47 upon a bracket 48 and ha ving a roll 49v adapted to be acted upon by a suitable cam 50 mounted upon a shaft 5l. rIhe roll 49 is held in engagement with the cam 50 by means of a suitable coil spring 52. To the opposite end of the lever 46 is pivoted at 53 a link 54, the upper end whereof is received in a slot 55 in the arnr 56 of a bell crank lever 57 pivoted at 58 in the framing of the machine. The opposite arm 59 of said lever has pivotally secured to its upper end at 60 a link 61 connected at its outer end to one of the rods 41 of the escapement mechanism.

Fast with the lever 57 are a pair of leverv rms 62 at opposite sides of the machine and adapted at their outer ends to take under the ends of the rods 35 by which a Zone or section of the apron 1 is intermittently lifted. The construction and arrangement of parts are such that as a Zone or section of the apron 1 with its superposed row of cakes 16 is elevated, the escapement pins 45 are moved to the right, viewing Fig. 7 immediately following the release of the bottommost cakes in the several compartments of the hopper 19. The said released cakes are received upon the filling 17 of the apronsupported cakes 16 and the pins 45 are immediately brought into position to act as an abutment or backing for the said cakes 38,. so that the lifting movement of the apron causes the filling 17 to be reduced to a thin layer which adheres to each pair of cakes 16, 38, thus forming them into what may be termed a sandwich or filled wafer. Thereupon the elevated section of the apron is lowered and the onward movement of the apron carries the formed row of sandwiches or filled wafers from beneath the hopper 19 and brings another row of the cakes 16 with the overlying mass of filling 17 into position beneath the hopper. lIhereupon the described cycle of operations is repeated.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1.` Wafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, a

travelling support for a lower cake, cracker or the like, means to support in superposed relation upper cakes, crackers or the like, re-

leasing means for an upper cake to permit the superposition thereof upon a lower cake,

.and means to bring the upper and lower cakes with an interposed filling into engaging relation with each other against said releasing means as an'abutment.

.2. Vaer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, a travelling support for a lower cake, cracker or the like, means to support in superposed relation upper cakes, crackers or the like, a combined releasing means and abutment for the .upper cakes, and means to elevate the lower cake into engaging relation'with the released upper cake against said combine releasing means and abutment. Y

3. Wafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising` in combination, a travellingl support for a lower cake, cracker or the like, means to support in superposed relation upper cakes, crackers or the like, releasing means for the upper cake khaving anto and fr0 movement and having a part adapted to serve as an abutment following release of an upper cake, and means coactingwith the abutment to press an upper and lower cake into engaging relation with an interposed lilling.

4. Vafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, a travelling apron to support a series of lower cakes, crackers orthe like, a hopper to support in superposed relation a series of upper cakes, a combined releasing` means and abutment for effecting the release of the lowermost upper cakes, and meansto lift a transverse zone or section of the apron with lower cakes thereon against the combined releasing means and abutment.

5. Vafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, conveyor means to support a lower cake, cracker or the like, a hopper having means to support a superposed series of vupper cakes, crackers or the like, and a releasing means for the lowcrmost cracker comprising a horizontally movable l'rame carrying Aupper and lower members offset from each other to permit the release of individual cakes and the retention of the remaining superposed cakes.

G. Va'ter or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, conveyor means to support a lower cake, cracker or the like, a hopper having means to support a plurality of superposed series of upper cakes, crackers or the like, and a releasing means for the upper cakes comprising` a pair ot opposed vertically spaced and relatively fiXed rows oit pin-like members alternately reciprocable across the base of the hopper to permit the dischargexof a single cake ot each series.

7. Tater or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprisingin combination, means to` support a lower cake, cracker or the like, a hopper l'iaving means to support a 'superposed series of upper cakes, crackers or the like, reciprocable releasing means for the lowermost cake, and means acting substantially simultaneously to litt the support for the lowermost cake and to reciprocate said releasing means.

8. lVaier mechanism comprising in combination, a travelling belt or apron-.for a series oflower cakes, means to support in superposed relation a series of upper cakes,vmeans to supor biscuit sandwich-making leasing means for said cakes comprisingvpins 44, 45, lifting means `'tor said Ybelt located below the superposed upper cakes, a lever 57, means to operate said lever, and connections ,t'rom said leverl to said .lifting means and to said releasing means.

l0. falter or biscuit sandwich making mechanism .comprising in combination, traveliing means for a seriesoi lower cakes, a support for superposed upper cakes, releasing means for saidcakes comprising pins 44,

45, lifting means for sai'dbelt located below the superposed upper cakes, a lever 57, connections therefrom to sa-id 'lifting i means-and also to said releasing means, and means to operate said lever 57 during periods of rest ot' said traveling means.

l1. Water or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, travelling means to eed lower cakes, crackers or the like, -hopper having means to supportV a s-uperposed-series `oi'upper cakes, crackers or the like, releasingnieans for the lowermost unit of said series comprising a frame horizontally movable :at the mouth of saidV hopper and supporting at opposite "sides thereof setsoi' vertically spaced pins, and means to reciprocate said releasing means to ei'ect the discharge of a single upper cake.

12. lVaii-er or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising, in combination, means to support a lower cake, cracker, or the like, a hopper having means tofsup ort a superposed series of upper cakes, crac ers or the like, reciprocable releasingpmea-n-s for the upper cakes comprising a frame 4l, 42, 41, 42 and vertically and laterally spaced sets of pins 44, 45 removably mounted therein and means for positively reciprocating said frame. v

13. Wafer or biscuit sandwich-making mechanism comprising in combination, means to support alower cake, cracker or the like, a hopper having means-toposition 1 a superimposed series of uppei1 cakes,craok alternately to support said series and spaced ers or the like, means for depositing in severtically by substantially the thickness of quence single units of Said series onto said a single unit, and means to reciprocate said 10 lower cake, cracker or the like, said means frame.

5 including a reeipiooalole frame having op- In testimony whereof, I have signed my posed eseapement members carried loy opponame to this specification. site sides of said frame and each eJTective EDl/VARD E. LAWRENCE. 

